Are you like I me? Every year, I look forward to Thanksgiving as the one of a few times during the year that I get to have the full turkey (and/or ham) feast. Typically, I’d fill my plate with large portions of everything that I’ve been waiting all year for. Of course, this will include all the starches (rice, yams or sweet potatoes, stuffing, and a butter roll), ham, turkey, tako poke, green beans, macaroni/potato salad, toss salad, and a piece of every dessert that various guests have contributed. And once they’re on my dish, I feel obligated to finish off the whole plate. After all, can’t waste good food. Within an hour or so, I am stuffed to the gills and completely immobile. Does this sound at all familiar?

Fortunately, over recent years, I’ve figured out a better way, and it hasn’t had any negative impact on how much I enjoy our holiday feast. In fact, nowadays, I leave the party feeling great. I don’t gain weight, yet I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate all the delicious food I’d been waiting for.

Here are my Thanksgiving Survival Tips:

1. First, understand that avoiding progressive weight gain and holiday over-indulgence is not about denying yourself of everything you’ve been craving nor will it be the last meal you ever have. So, don’t eat like it is. It is a time to enjoy and appreciate friends and family and savor what is before you. This is just the beginning of the holiday season of food and festivities and you don’t want to start with bloating and bulging.
2. Even on Thanksgiving, time permitting, don’t abandon your exercise routine. If anything, get it done before you celebrate to ensure that it doesn’t end up on your list of should haves.
3. If the celebration is for lunch, eat a normal, timely and balanced breakfast. If it is a dinner, then make sure you have a normal, timely and balanced breakfast and lunch. Do not skip your earlier meals, anticipating a “pig out.” It sets you up for a bad pattern of binging.
4. Assess your options. In the example I gave in the opening, I ate every type of complex carbohydrate offered. In hindsight, I would have been perfectly happy just picking my favorites (like stuffing and green bean casserole). So review your options and prioritize them. Don’t waste your appetite on everyday foods or mediocre choices—unless they are healthy contributors like high fiber or nutrient-rich foods.
5. Tasting. Parties here usually include a smorgasbord of tempting dishes from everyone’s special recipe collection and you may feel like you’ve just got to try everything. (I’m not going to tell you to deny yourself and stick with the program.) Rather, take “tasting portions” and try a little at a time, then apply rule #4 above and choose accordingly.
6. Remember portion recommendations. Start with a small portion of what you want to eat most. You can always go back for seconds so don’t overload your plate from the beginning.
7. Local menus always start with pupus. Consider that pupus are for picking, not for plating. In other words, unless you’re eating your pupu as your meal (as some do because of their love for poke, for example), then just pick a little—knowing full well that the main course follows.
8. Plates. If given a choice, use a smaller plate. Most of us would be content with a lunch-size plate portion but end up over-filling a dinner-sized plate and eating everything on it. Again, you can always go back for more. You don’t need to take it all at once.
9. Timing and Rest. Eat slowly. Take your time eating to allow your body to tell you when it is satisfied. Also, rest briefly between servings instead of going back immediately for seconds. Rest at least 15-20 minutes after finishing your first plate and ask yourself if you are still hungry. Many of us eat because it’s there and it tastes good when we are actually far from being hungry.
10. Pace yourself. You know full well (no pun intended) that the meal will have everything imaginable: pupus, salads, starches, meats, desserts, etc. Don’t over-indulge every step of the way. You can always go back for more if you are still hungry.
11. Lastly, don’t forget to drink fluids throughout your meal (preferably water rather than a sugary beverage which may encourage you to eat more salty dishes). Some suggest drinking a glass of water before the meal which does tend to fill you up and curb your appetite.

If you’ve stuck with the Conditioning that we’ve been recommending for the past several weeks, you have been primed to follow the above with no problem. If you’ve been managing your portions well prior to this, you just won’t physically be able to overeat without feeling absolutely horrible. In fact, you might end up with a stomach ache if you over-indulge. If you’ve been reducing your sodium, you may find some of the holiday foods far too salty for your taste—maybe even tongue-numbingly salty.

The key is to enjoy the day and give thanks. The day was not intended to have you imitate a turkey and stuff yourself until you’re immobile. As we always say, moderation. Realize that you do not need to consume everything like there is no tomorrow to enjoy the meal. In fact, quite the contrary is true. Instead, savor it. Taste the food rather than inhaling it. You will appreciate everything so much more.

***THANK YOU to those who have completed the online general health survey. Thanks to all of you, we are approaching 500 responses! For those who haven’t had a chance yes, I invite you to participate and tell your friends and family so that together we can Build a Healthy Hawaii. Please visit my website www.lifefitnet.com. It is a short 12-question online survey that should take only 2-3 minutes to complete. Mahalo for your support!  Lori

Tags: diet, health, nutrition, Thanksgiving, weight management, wellness

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.